Connecter



July 14, 1936. F. H. RICHTERKEsslNG 2,047,384

CONNECTER Filed April 4,1932

'FQANK H. QmHTEQKESSlNG Patented July 14, 1936l UNITED STATES CONNECTERFrank H. Richterkessing, Louisville, Ky., assignor to Nachod & UnitedStates Signal Co., Incorporated, Louisville, Ky., a corporation ofKentucky Application April 4, 1932, Serial N0. 603,022

8 Claims. (Cl. 1734-328) This invention relates to a swltchemployingstructure akin to conventional plug and jack connecters as used intelephone and radio arts.

The feature of this invention is to provide ready means of attaching anddetaching an electrical unit, such as a relay, to a panel withoutresorting to the use of tools, clamps, screws or the like.

Another feature of the device is the provision of a novel Vrelation andarrangement of jack springs, and a special form of plugs arranged toreduce the eort required to eiect and to interrupt the contacts andstill Ymaintain the integrity of same against existing normal forces,

' such as gravity and vibration.

To facilitate an understanding of the invention reference is made to theaccompanying drawing which is incorporated into this specification, andin which Figure 1 is a cross section elevation of a fixed panel carryinga series of jacks;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a removable panel carrying an instrument andplugs bearing a fixed relation to the jacks of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is'a reduced scale elevation of the front face of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an elevation on reduced scale of the back face of Fig. 2. l

The jack in a preferred form comprises an angular base member I0, oneendA of which is secured to panel Il by grommet I2. At the opposite endof base member III dead ends of flat faced springs I3, I3 are secured byscrew I4, the near end of these springs being fashioned with curvedfaces I3a, I3a to readily receive the head I5 of plug I6 which is made apart of same through integral reduced neck I'I. A plurality of theseplugs are secured to'removable panel I8 which carries equipment such asrelay under cover I9.

Special attentions is called to the fact that the bottom of holes 20 inpanel II are sunk to different planes in order to place the lips orlobes I3a, I3a of the jack at corresponding planes to the bottom of .theholes, all in terms of the front face of the panel. It will be seen thatas the plugs of the removable panel I8 are brought into engagement withthe jack springs that all the springs will not be strained at the sametime and consequently the effort required to effect the attachment willbe minimized in terms of the effort were all of these springs to bestrained at the same instant, in other words c mese springs arestaggered so that only one or possibly two of the plugs will enter at agiven instant.

This is of particular value'where a great many engagements are effectedat a given cycle of operation. Attention is directed to the fact thatnecks I? of the plugs are made abnormally long to admit of movementafter the heads I5 of the plugs have passed the lobes I3a,' I3a of thesprings I3, which will cause the spring pressure on said necks to Ybesubstantially uniform. The sum total of these pressures have been foundto be suflicient to hold in place a relatively heavy panel with itsappurtenances. Upon removal of I8 it will follow that heads I5 willserially contact lobes I3a, I3a thereby making the removal relativelyeasy .and substantially the same as when contacts are effected. SpringsI3, I3 are identical with lobes I3a, I3a disposed on the normal centralline directly in the path of travel for thev plug. f

In place of staggering the bottom of holes 20 in terms of each other, analternative, although less desirable structure, it would be practicableto construct panel II with the bottom of the holes in substantially thesame plane and then accomplish the staggering by changing the length ofsprings I3 or the length of bracket I0. The selected structure ispreferable by reason of admitting uniform manufacture of the metallicparts of the well known system of punches and dies. Again the lobes ofthe jacks could be located in the same plane and the location of theheads I5 be xed in different planes so as to stagger them for seriallyeffecting contacts which would be the mechanical equivalent.

Modifications and alterations in the structure shown can be indulgedwithout departing from the spirit of my invention, therefore I wish tobe limited only by the appended claims:

1. `In a multiple connecter, the combinationv of a plurality of plungerplugs mounted on a movable member, each fashioned with a head at theterminus of a reduced portion" of said plug, a stationary member, and aplurality of jacks attached thereto, each composed of a pair of faceduniform yielding independent contact members having lips diametricallydisposed for simultaneous electrical and mechanical engageL ment withthe reduced portion of a correlated plug;said jacks being mounted atdifferent planes parallel to the front face of said stationary member toprovide means for serially effecting a contact by each pairof plugs andjacks, as the said members are engaged or disengaged.

2. In a multiple connecter, the combination ol a. plurality of plungerplugs mounted on a movable member, each fashioned with a head at theterminus of a reduced portion of said plug, a.

stationary member, and a plurality of jacks attached thereto, each.provided with a yielding contact member having a lip disposed forelectrical and mechanical engagement with the head of a correlated plug;said jacks being mounted at different planes parallel to the front faceof said stationary member to provide means for serially eiecting acontact by each pair of plugs and jacks as the said members are engagedor disengaged and out of synchronisxn with the contacting of the otherplugs and jack.

3. In a multiple connecter, the combination of a plurality of plungerplugs mounted on a movable member, each fashioned with a head at theterminus of a reduced portion 4of said plug, a stationary member, and aplurality of jacks at- 'Atached thereto, each composed of a pair offaced uniform yielding independent contact members having lipsdiametrically disposed for a simultaneous electrical and mechanicalengagement with the reduced portion of a correlated plug; said jacksbeing mounted on said stationary member at different depths with respect'to the front face thereof to provide means for serialvly eiecting acontact by each pair of plugs and jacks, as the said members are engagedor disengaged.

4. In a multiple connecter, the. combination of a plurality of plungerplugs mounted on a movable member, each fashioned with a head at theterminus of a reduced portion of said plug, a stationary member, and aplurality or" jacks mounted thereon each provided with a yieldingcontact member having a. lip disposed for electrical and mechanicalengagement with the head of a correlated plug; said jacks being mountedat different planes parallel to the frontface of said stationary memberto provide 'means for serially eiecting a contact by each pair of plugsand jacks, as the said members are engaged or disengaged out ofsynchronism with the contacting of the other plugs and jacks, saidreduced portions being of suicient axial length to retain contact withsaid lips after engagement.

5. In combination, a panel having an opening', a tubular rivet extendingthrough the opening in said panel, a jack frame having a vertical baseportion secured to said panel by said tubular rivet and a horizontal legextending away from said base portion, the free end yof said leg beingoiset to provide a mounting, a pair of contact springs secured to saidmounting having their free ends facing said tubular rivet, and a plugadapted to pass through said tubular rivet to electrically andmechanically engage said contact springs.

6. In a multiple connecter, the combination of a plurality of similarcontact plugs mounted on a portable electrical instrument, each plugbeing fashioned with an enlarged substantially spheroidal end adjoininga cylindrical contact portion of said plug; a stationary panel, or thelike, provided with a plurality of spring jacks mounted on 'a verticalface thereon and positioned to substantially register with the contactplugs on said instrument, each of said spring jacks being provided witha contact spring having a raised contact portion for mechanicallyengaging said spheroidal plug end and for electrically engaging saidcylindrical contact portion, said raised contact portion of each jackspring being located at different depths with respect to the verticalface of said panel to permit progressive engagement of said spheroidalplug ends with the raised contact portion of said jack springs. I

7. In a multiple connecter, the combination of a plurality of similarcontact plugs mounted on a portable electrical instrument, each plugbeing fashioned with an enlarged substantially spheroidal end and acylindrical contact portion adjoining said end and forming a sharpcircumferential edge adjacent thereto and substantially concentrictherewith; and independent spring jack for each contact plug, eachcomprising a frame, a pair of co-acting contact springs and a tubularrivet for mounting said frame to a panel, or the like, and serving toguide its associate contact plug into engagement with a pair of contactsprings, said tubular rivets being of greater inside diameter than thedutside diameter of said contact plugs to permit each plug to freelyengage the contact springs of its associate jack with variation in thealignment of said plugs and spring jacks.

8. In an electric contact device, a contact plug having an enlargedsubstantially spheroidal end, a cylindrical contact portion adjoiningsaid end and forming a sharp circumferential edge adjacent thereto andsubstantially concentric therewith; a spring jack comprising a frame, apair of co-acting springs extending longitudinally thereon and eachadapted to be simultaneously operated by said contact plug, each of saidsprings being provided with a raised contact portion at their free endfor electrically contacting the cylindrical portion of said plug and tomechanically engage the spheroidal end of said plug to prevent freewithdrawal of said plug, said cylindrical contant portion being ofsuilicient axial length to retain contact and permit lateral movementwith said springs after engagement therewith.

' FRANK H. RICHTERKESSING.

